Trolley-conductor insulator



April 28, 1925.

s. s. STOLP TROLLEY CONDUCTOR msuwron Filed Nov. so. 1925 Patented Apr. 28, 1925. y

UNITED STATES 1,535,745 PATENT OFFICE. j

SAMUEL s. STOLP, orMAnsFInLn, onro, assren'on To THE OHIO nnass COMPANY; or MANSFIELD, 01110, A conronarron or new JERSEY.

TROLLEY-CONDUCTOR INSULATOR.

Application filed November 30,- 1923. Serial No. 677,636.

To all whom, it may concern:

1 3c it known that I, SAMUEL S. S'roLr, a,citizen of the United States of America, residing ath/Iansiield, in the county of Richvo land and State of'Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trol- Icy-Conductor Insulators, of which the following is a specification My invention relates to insulators and 10 more particularly to that class of insulators used in connection with overhead electric railway trolley lines wherein the trolley wire is sectionaliz ed and the sections fed by a feeder system. i 5 One. object of my invention is to provide a device; to be inserted between the adjacent ends of two trolley sections whereby the adjacent ends of the trolley wire may be mechanically connected, but electrically sep arated. v i

- fAi1ot l1er object of my invention is to provide a continuous electrical contact for the current collector in passingfrom one section to the adjacent section.

i 2 ,Another object of my invention is to eliminate the excessive sparking when the current collector ,leaves a live section.

" Another object of my invention is to provide the current collector with current Should the car inadvertently stop with its collector between the adjacent ends of two sections. a I i Another object of myinvention is to provideqa metallic run which can be engaged by tl1e,.current collector .in passing-from one section to another in order to avoiddepreciation which is found upon an insulator in which the current collector passes from one section to another in contact with an insulating material.

A still further object of my invention to provide an insulator which can be used with either awh-eel or sliding collectorwithout any alterations or changes.

i .45. A still further object of my invention'is to produce a device in which the mechanical, strength is materially increased through the relative arrangement of the parts as hereinafter described.

- 1 Another object of my invention is to produce a device which is simple, eiiicient, easy of installation and of low cost. My invention resides in the new and novel. construction, combination and arrangement of thevarious parts hereinafter merc fully described and disclosed in the accompanying drawings. i v

My invention is illustrated in theaccom-v paning drawings in which; y i

Fig. 1 is aside view inelevation of my invention. k, Fig; isa lower plan View of my invention. y 3

Fig- 3 is an end view of my invention.- Figs. 1'; to 7 are sectional views taken on correspondingly numbered lines: on Fig. 1.

In the preferred embodiment.oft my invention employ a' central member 1 of insulating material, preferably wood, on ac count of its cheapness, strength, durability ande-ase of shaping, although other materials, such as fiber, hardrubber, etc, may be used. I a v y i To each end of the insulatingmember 1 is secured an endmember 2 provided with a channel to receive the end of a trolley wire I have shownthe simplest form of securing the wire; to the member 2, which consists in inserting the trolley wire with a-right angle bent into horizontal and vertical recesses, and then bending its upwardly projecting end back on to the end'member, after which the lips 4 may be formed about the wire 3 to present a smooth running sur.-' face for the current collector. .There are, of course, other well known means of securing the trolley wire to the end members known to those skilled in the art, and which have been in common use, but as my invention does not. reside particularly in the methodof attachment of the wire to the end member. I-have shown only a simple arrangement. The inner ends of the end member are divided so as to form apocketf having side walls 5. The pocket receives the end of the, insulating member 1 and is secured thereto by means ofthe boltsfil The end member 2 is provided witha runway 7 adapted to receive either the groove of a wheel type current collector or the contact element of a-sliding collectors Positioned on each side of. the device is a guide member 8.Q;'lhe guide member has preferably an L shaped cross section ,al& though other shapes may be substituted. Each guide member is sufficiently long to bridge the gap between the end members and to overlap the end members for a distance. One end of each guide member is secured to one of the end members. I have shown the guide members 8 as being formed separate from the end members and secured thereto, but it is also possible to form the end memher with its guide. member integral. In the form shown, one end of the guide mem ber is formed with a lug 9 provided with an aperture to receive the lower bolt 6 or the lug may be sufiiciently long to include both of the bolts 6." The guide member is also; provided with a lug 10 projecting at a "point between the inner end of the opposite end member 2 and the vertical transverse center line XX of the device. The lug 10 is formed with an aperture and the member 1 has a corresponding aperture through which passes the fastening bolt 11 by means of which the lug 10 is securely attached to the member 1.

It will be noted that the guide members are strong and rugged and secured to the member 1 by means of the bolts 11 and to the member 2 by the bolts 6 in such a man new that if excessive strain in a longitudinal direction is brought upon the members 2. tending to separate them, that the portion of the member l between the bolts 11 will be placed in compression and, therefore, materially add to the strength of the device as a whole, and particularly to the strength ofthe attachment of the end members to the member 1 by the inter-locking of the members'S in their connection to the member 1. Each guiding member is provided with an inwardly and upwardly projecting surface 12 so spaced and related to each other as to receive the periphery of a wheel type current collector. The end portions of each guide member are so shaped and formed with respect to the runway 7 that when a wheel is passing from the member 7 to the members8 or vice versa, the passage will be made with perfect smoothness and no tendency to causethe wheel to be thrown out of engagement with either of these members and thereby break the continuity of the circuit between the wheel and the members. Thel ower edge 13 of the guide members are adapted to receive a sliding current collector and the lower edge 13 is so shaped at its ends that the sliding collector will alsopass from the member 7 to the members 8 or vice versa so gradually as to avoidany bounding of'the current collector, and hence avoid the forming of an are,

There is'an advantage in having the faces 12 sloping with respect to each other as it assures the wheelcollector engaging with. both of the members 8 throughout its travel from one member 2 to the other member 2 as the sloping face 12 on each member 8 tends to permit the collector to slide upwardlv, hence into engagement with the face 12 of the other member 8. i

it is advisable at times to take the weight of the device of}? the trolley wire .l

attach to the upper central portion of the member 1 a supporting element 14 secured thereto by a through bolt 15 and which member 14- may have a threaded recess to receive the supporting stud of an overhead hanger. I

It will be evident that when a current collector passes from one section to another. that it will not be deprived of current during its travel across the device and, therefore, if the collector should come to rest at a point between the inner ends of the members 2, the vehicle to which it is attached will be able to start up and proceed, which is not the case with the section insulators now in general use. It is also evident that the vicious arcing which is produced with the present type of insulatorwill be practically eliminated. 'lheoretically, the arcing would be eliminated absolutely in my device if the potential of the two end members is the same, but as the probabilities are that there will be some difference of potential there will be arcing in proportion, but I have found that this difference of potential is as a rule very low and in actual trial the arcing which does form is hardly discernible.

With the present devices in use, when the current collector leaves one of the end members the difference of potential is the maximum between that of the trolley wire and the ground and this is usually four hundred to six hundred volts or more, and when the collector breaks the circuit at the inner end of the end member while current is flowing, an arc is formed which is in proportion to the current drawn and the maximum difference of voltage between the trolley wire and the ground. This is so great that in a short time the inner end of the end member and the insulation are soon destroyed.

There are, of course, many modifications which those skilled in the art will have suggested to them when they read my disclosure, but I do not wish to be limited other than by my claims.

I claim:

1. A section insulator comprising in combination means for holding the adjacent ends of a trolley conductor in fixed and insulated relation, and a pair of parallel guide bars laterally spaced from each other and from the said means adapted to guide either a grooved wheel or sliding current collector across the break in the line conductor, each bar being electrically connected to a different trolley conductor and normally insulated from each other.

2. A section insulator comprising in combination means for holding the adjacent ends of a trolley conductor in a fixed, insulated and alined relation apart, and a pair of bars parallel to the conductor and laterally spaced from each, other and from the said means and so further positioned and an ranged as to guide either a grooved wheel or sliding current collector over the break and supply current to the collector while engaging the bars.

3. A section insulator comprising in combination means for holding the adjacent ends of an interrupted trolley conductor in fixed and insulated relation and a pair of laterally spaced and insulated guide bars insulated from each other, parallel to the conductor and each provided with an inwardly and upwardly extending surface to receive the flanges of a current collector and guide it across the break.

4. A. section insulator comprising in combination, means for holding the adjacent ends of an interrupted trolley conductor in fixed and insulated relation, a pair of laterally spaced and parallel guide bars insulated from each other and from the holding means by air insulation and arranged to be connected by a current collector and each bar having a surface to be engaged by a current collector, the said surfaces on the bars so related that each surface tends to automatically move the current collector into engagement with the said surface on the other bar while the collector is moving over the break.

5. A section insulator comprising in comhina'tion, an insulatingmember, an end member secured to each end of the insulating member, a conducting guide member extending from each end member towards the opposite end member and spaced laterally from the insulating member, each guide member presenting an obliquely disposed face to be engaged by a current collector, the faces so related that each face operates to move the collector into engagement with the face of the other guide member as the collector moves across the break.

6. A section insulator comprising in combination, an insulating member and an end member secured to each end of the insulating member to receive and hold in fixed and insulated relation the adjacent ends of an interrupted trolley conductor, insulated, parallel and longitudinally disposed guide bars secured to and spaced from the insulating member, each bar being of sufficient length to overlap the inner end of each end member and each bar electrically connected to a different end member.

7. A section insulator comprising in com bination, an insulating member, an end member secured to each end. of the insulating member to receive and hold in insulated, relation the adjacent ends of an interrupted trolley conductor, a pair of parallel, laterally spaced guide bars overlapping the inner ends of each end member and insulated from each other and to be engaged by a current collector and so related to the end members that the current collector will simultaneously engage the inner surface of each bar and one end member, then engage the inner surface of the two bars and then engage the inner surface of the two bars and the in a spaced and insulated relation, a conductor projecting and spaced laterally from each end member but on opposite sideso'f the insulating member, and extending longitudinally and parallel of the insulating member and overlapping the opposite end member to guide a wheel or a sliding collector from one end member to the other.

9. A section insulator comp-rising in combination, an insulating member, an end member secured to each end of the insulating member and having means to receive and secure a trolley wire thereto, means positioned on opposite sides of the insulating member and insulated from each other and having one end secured to an end member and having an attachment to the insulating member at a point beyond the transverse diametral plane to interlock the last said means with each other in insulated relation and having a contact surface which slopes inwardly and upwardly to engage a current collector in passing from one end member to the other.

10. A section insulator comprising in combination, an insulating member and an end member on each end of the insulating member to receive and maintain the adjacent ends of a conductor in an insulated and fixed relation, means projecting longitudinally from each end member towards the other end member and along opposite sides of the insulating member to be engaged by a current collector and holding means for securing the projecting means to the insulating member in spaced relation thereto and securing means passing transversely through the insulating member to secure the holding means to the insulating member, the said securing means for each projecting means being positioned between the transverse diametral plane of the insulating member and the inner end of the.

opposite end member to place that portion of the insulating member between the se-' SAMUEL S. STOLP. 

